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What does the future of work look like? What trends do new generations tend toward regarding jobs, skills, and careers? And how can you access the right talent you can employ for your business? Melissa Waters believes the answer is Upwork.
Waters, chief marketing officer at Upwork, joins Suzy founder and CEO Matt Britton on the latest episode of The Speed of Culture podcast. They discuss workforce changes, new trends and how Upwork connects businesses with independent professionals and agencies around the globe.
The workforce is changing, and it’s really on corporate America and the global corporate landscape to catch up with the fact that this is the way the world is going to work. And this is how we work now. And if that is our reality, then we need to be good change agents and stewards.
—Melissa Waters, CMO, Upwork
Waters describes herself as a transformational marketing leader whose mission is to unlock potential in businesses, brands and teams. She has extensive marketing experience for big-name companies such as Pandora, Lyft, hims & hers and Meta. Currently, Waters is the CMO at Upwork, where she oversees marketing and communication for the world’s work marketplace.
If you want to learn more about Upwork, the gig economy and the future of work, check out the key takeaways of this episode below.
Key Takeaways:
- 07:53 – 10:40 – Understanding the Freelance Industry – Many are not inclined to work in traditional jobs and try to find alternatives for their future careers and skills. As there is a different mindset, the workforce is changing. So Upwork is trying to help new generations adapt to the new environment and develop it.
- 10:40 – 13:15 – Adapting the Education Systems – Educational systems should adapt to future work trends. Many college graduates are looking to develop skills they can use to deliver specific services and build on their Upwork career. So education systems should consider these changes and align their actions with the rising workforce tendency.
- 13:15 – 16:49 – New Opportunities – Platforms like Upwork are drivers of businesses in terms of offering more flexibility in their cost structure. It’s an open platform where you can find talents across various countries and fill your positions or business necessities easily. Though freelancers accept this idea of the gig economy, the challenge is to change the corporate world mindset, where many businesses still rely on the old-fashioned way of working. So Upwork is working on helping business owners become more open-minded and flexible.
